Malcolm Gladwell: Small Area Variation– Your Environment Matters Enormously I’m reading Malcolm Gladwell’s latest book: Revenge of the Tipping Point.  He discusses small area variation: how the environment dramatically influences people.  Doctors in Buffalo will follow medical procedures that are different from the medical procedures followed by those in Boulder. (If curious, Canada influences Buffalo). Gladwell […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

AI is coming…! This is no hype.  I’m not sure how I feel about its implications.  But I have always embraced new technology for its (1) potential to do good and (2) its inevitability. Regarding the former, I know….. Everyone who has seen countless sci-fi. movies regarding the perils of AI “come alive” will point […]

The work world is not kind to 18-22 year olds. Unless they have a distinct plan. Which most don’t. Despite my work, I have never been a college-only advocate. Years before it became fashionable to suggest the trades or the military or other alternatives to college, I would suggest these paths to parents who found […]

Here’s the good news: Doing well on the SAT can only help gain admission and earn scholarship money. Doing poorly… doesn’t hurt that much for many colleges.  There might be a presumption that the student didn’t do well.  Grades will be scrutinized, which is a problem in the era of grade inflation. But a poor […]

SAT Mastery Seminar Winter Class: January 25-Feb 22 Late starters welcome and missing scheduled classes is very normal!  We maximize flexibility. Note: We have individual tutoring at all times.  Many students start tutoring in the fall and then move into our full class.  Many students star with the class and then supplement with individual tutoring.  […]

Perfectionism can be both a gift and a burden. While the drive to excel often pushes people to achieve, it can also paralyze them, leading to procrastination, self-doubt, and fear of failure. For one young woman I worked with, this inner struggle made every step of her academic and professional journey more challenging than it […]

A Rocky Start in High School I first met Max when he was in high school in Old Lyme, Connecticut. A bright student with potential, Max’s main obstacle was his lack of discipline. Poor study habits and a general disinterest in structured learning left him floundering academically. Recognizing his need for support, Max’s parents enrolled […]

A big box arrived.  It was not from Amazon but instead was perfectly gift-wrapped with a literal bow on top.  The note read: “Lifetime Achievement Award.”  The box was filled with goodies that only someone who knew my idiosyncratic preferences would know. It was from Liz’s kind parents. I feel young. Really young.  But when […]

The 1990s/2000s seemed a lot easier than today’s world.  Since becoming an educational consultant, I have witnessed the toll that mass confusion has taken on caring parents. As the world of education and work grows increasingly chaotic, many parents of high school students are feeling overwhelmed. Traditional paths that once guaranteed stability—such as pursuing a […]